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Jerusalem-Israel will likely have to use force to stop the build-up of Iranian-made weapons flowing into the Gaza Strip but will continue its negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Monday. Livni said Israel would continue to fight terrorism but that terror was not an excuse to suspend negotiations with the Palestinians. "The fact that Israel continues to negotiate does not mean it will cease its fight against terror," Livni said. "We must continue to act on both fronts."Livni, who was reportedly scheduled to meet with chief P.A. negotiator Ahmed Qureia on Monday evening, said she hoped that the Palestinians would not use Israeli military actions "to combat terrorism as an excuse to evade peace talks." P.A. Chairman Mahmoud Abbas briefly suspended talks with Israel two weeks ago after a spike in Hamas rocket fire from the Gaza Strip prompted an Israeli military operation in Gaza in which more than 100 Palestinians were killed.Israel said most of them were terrorists. Palestinians said half were civilians.A bomb planted along the security fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip that killed two soldiers and a terrorist shooting attack in Jerusalem that killed eight students in a Jewish religious seminary further threatened to deteriorate the situation. President Bush said in January that he believed a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is possible by the end of his term after peace talks resumed officially between the two sides at the U.S.-sponsored conference at Annapolis, Md., in November. Both Israeli and Palestinian leaders have committed themselves to the goal of a peace deal in a year, though both sides have expressed their doubts about the feasibility of such a plan.Earlier on Monday, Livni said negotiations with the P.A. would not change the situation in the Gaza Strip."Hamas rejects the very existence of the State of Israel, and acts against it. The smuggling of Iranian-made armaments from Egypt into the Gaza Strip increases the range of the threat, and enlarges the civilian population forced to live under that threat," Livni said after meeting with visiting German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday.Rocket fire from the Gaza Strip at southern Israeli communities has been more subdued during the last two weeks - about 139 launches of rockets and mortars, including three Iranian-made Grad rockets, the army said on Monday. But that is down from the 40-50 per day just over two weeks ago.Over the weekend there were more than 30 rockets and mortar shells launched at southern Israeli communities, though they caused no damage. Just one rocket was launched on Monday, the army said.But Livni said what she called the "coincidental quiet" was not the answer to the problem, which would require Israeli military action."The answer lies in the complete termination of rocket launchings and military augmentation. In parallel to the negotiations, Israel will have to use force in response to these threats," Livni said.Livni's comments come at the beginning of week of increased diplomatic activity in Israel. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in Israel on a state visit this week. Republican presidential candidate John McCain is due in Israel on Tuesday, and Vice President Dick Cheney is scheduled to arrive later in the week.Foreign Ministry spokesman Aryeh Mekel said Israel's need to put an end to Palestinian terrorism and weapon smuggling into the Gaza Strip would be central in talks with all the visiting dignitaries. Along with that, the need for the world to take action against Iran's continuing to develop nuclear weapons is also topping the agenda, Mekel said.Livni's statements came as the Jerusalem Post revealed on Monday that Israel is planning to hold its largest-ever emergency drill in April in light of a possible escalation with Syria and Iranian efforts at obtaining atomic weapons.As part of the drill, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is due to convene the cabinet in Jerusalem to decide on the Israeli response to an "enemy attack," the paper said.The five-day exercise is not being done because Israel thinks there will be a war, an unnamed government official was quoted as saying, but because Israel needs to be prepared.As in the days of Noah...
